The Liceu, Barcelona, June 4th, 7th, & 10th 2000

Ermano Wolf-Ferrari's opera Sly ends the Gran Teatre del Liceu's 1999-2000 season - the first season in their newly rebuilt house - a season which has amply displayed the versatility of one of Europe's greatest houses with a repertoire featuring Turandot, The Makropoulos Case, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Carlo, Beatrice Di Tenda, Lohengrin, Le Nozze Di Figaro and Sly. I'm delighted to report that this last production was a triumph for all concerned.

José Carreras's appearance in this production of Sly also marked the 30th anniversary of his operatic debut (also at the Liceu) and his first appearance at the Liceu in seven years.

The production used by the Liceu was the Zurich Opera's production, directed by Hans Hollman. This production was in my opinion considerably stronger than last year's Washington Opera production, directed by Marta Domingo. It is a 'tighter' production and one without the numerous irritating distractions of the Washington one. It was also blessed with a stronger cast.

In addition to Carreras's triumphant performance in the title role, the Liceu's production featured the veteran American baritone Sherrill Milnes, as the villainous Duke of Westmoreland and the gifted, young Belgian-Congolese soprano, Isabelle Kabatu, as his mistress Dolly. The Liceu's orchestra was led by the talented, young Barcelona-born conductor, David Giménez.

Sly, which first premiered at La Scala in 1927, is a contemporary of Puccini's Turandot - the Liceu season opener. Unlike Turandot, it has long been absent from the Italian opera repertoire, until its rescue from obscurity a few years ago by José Carreras. (A German language version has been performed from time to time and an LP of the opera sung in German exists.) While not a great operatic classic in the tradition of Turandot or La Bohème, it certainly deserves the attention it is currently receiving. The opera is interesting from both a psychological and musical point of view.

The role of the drunken poet, Christopher Sly, is a long way from Puccini's Rodolfo or even Bizet's Don José - long staples of Carreras's repertoire. Sly is not a romantic hero. He is, simply, one of life's losers. He's a poet who has never found love or success and has sought solace in a bottle. The opera's tragedy is that he is briefly tricked into believing that he has finally attained both and when he realizes that it was all a joke - he commits suicide in despair. The ending is all the more poignant because at the very end, Dolly realizes that she's fallen in love and seeks him out in the Duke's wine cellar. Alas, it is too late, he dies in her arms.

While not the type of role traditionally associated with Carreras, it is a role he plays with great dignity. Carreras's Sly is no stumbling drunk. Instead, Carreras captured the essential vulnerability and humanity of the character. Once again he displayed his great acting skills.

Milnes's portrayal of the Duke of Westmoreland was first class. He was in great voice and had great stage presence. With his Liceu performance, Milnes, once a long-time regular at the Met, proved that he's still a world-class baritone and amply demonstrates that his recent absence from the Met's stage is an unfortunate loss for New York.

Making her Liceu debut in the role of Dolly, the Duke's mistress who eventually falls in love with Sly, was the lovely Belgian-Congolese soprano Isabelle Kabatu. Stunningly beautiful both in voice and appearance, Kabatu is also an excellent actress. The role of Dolly can not be an easy one to sing. In the first act the part is very discordant, very modern in sound. She managed the first act well and sang the more Italian sounding second and third acts with great power, beauty and warmth.

It was obvious from the opening night on, that Kabatu and Carreras had developed a great working relationship. A sentiment that she voiced not only to the Spanish press, but to the many opera-goers who waited on the Rambla after the June 7th performance when she said - "working with José Carreras is like a dream come true."

The Liceu clearly realizes that Kabatu is a dream come true; she's scheduled to appear next season in Aida.

In his Liceu debut, David Giménez conducted with great presence, professionalism and energy. Giménez studied at Vienna's Hochschule für Musik and under Sir Colin Davis at London's Royal Academy of Music. He made his U.S. debut conducting Tosca at Fort Worth. U.S. audiences will have the opportunity to hear him conduct next season in both Portland and Baltimore.

The Zurich production while still set, for some odd reason, in the early twentieth century rather than Shakespeare's England, is superior in a number of areas to the Washington production-the production that I understand will be used at the Met.

The first act is tighter, shorter and more to the point than the Washington production. The first act of the Washington production rambled and was cursed with those irritating dancers in 'dusters' flapping around the stage. However, the Zurich production does not have the wonderfully choreographed and lighted "Bear Dance." The dance is still there, but it lacks the drama of the Washington production. Although the story is still set in England, neither production portrays a recognizable English pub or inn - 'Mack the Knife' would feel more at home in this production, than the Bard.

In the second act, we were treated to the most amazing mechanical bed. As Sly awakes, he finds the bed rising to a precarious, almost 90 degree angle!

However, it is in the third act that the Zurich production shows its superiority. Unlike the Washington production, with its distracting, dancing 'angel of death', the Zurich production leaves Sly all alone on the stage in his despair - until Dolly, realizing her love for him, arrives too late to save him. It is in this final lonely scene of despair and desperation that Carreras - the actor - really excelled. The drama and poignancy he created there all alone on the stage made the ending all the more poignant and devastating.

Of the three performances I attended - June 4th, 7th, and 10th - Carreras's performance on the 7th was, in my opinion, his best. He appeared more comfortable with the production. Both his voice and his body moved more fluidly and gracefully.

However, it was the opening night audience on the 4th that was the most enthusiastic. The moment he walked out on stage in the middle of the first act, Carreras was greeted by an ovation - very uncharacteristic for a European audience. At the end of the second act there were two curtain calls, the applause was so thunderous.

Oddly, the audience on the 7th was the least enthusiastic of the three. Perhaps Sly, which requires a degree of intellectual involvement, was just too much for the mid-week audience?

Despite the slightly lukewarm Wednesday night audience, Sly was clearly a triumph for all associated with the production, but most especially for Carreras. The opera is perfect for his voice at this stage of his career and provides a great showcase for his acting talents. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for any other tenor to measure up to Carreras's portrayal of Christopher Sly.

Sly also marked the end to the Liceu Opera's first season back in its newly rebuilt auditorium. A stunning structure, that replicates, with a few minor exceptions, the original house where Carreras made his debut 30 years ago.